THE DIGNITIE OF the Scripture togither with The Indignity which the vnthankfull world offereth therunto In three sermons vpon Hose 8.12 By Samuel Hieron Psal 119. v. 129. Thy testimonies are wonderfull HINC LVCEUM ET POCVLA SACRA ALMA MATER CANTA BRIGIA Printed by IOHN LEGAT Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge 1607. And are to be sold at the signe of the Crowne in Pauls Church-yard by Simon VVaterson TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND MY VERY REVErend freind M. Doctor Goad Provost of the Kings Colledge in Cambridge WHen I remember the times and furtherances of my education and consider with my selfe by whose free choise I was preferred into that worthy societie the head-ship whereof your worship hath so many yeares enioyed I cannot but say to you as Hierome did to a freind of his Tibi quod possū debeo Hiero. Sephron quod non possum I am indebted to you both to the vtmost extent of my ability and in much more then I can performe Giue me leaue therefore I beseech you not as by way of requitall for I will not so much either vnder-value your fauour or abridge my debt but as by way of acknowledgement leauing this as it were a bill of my hand what I haue receiued and how deepely I am engaged to present you with these three sermons They are of the Dignitie of the scripture and therefore their subiect considered are not vnworthy your patronage being so auncient and so indicious a professour of Theologie The manner of handling because as it is liable to censure in this taxing age so it may perhaps through my want either of skill or care deserue reproofe therefore I doe submit it wholly to your worships triall that after it may either step further into publike view or els stop where it is according as you shall please to dispose How soeuer it be albeit I must confesse that I should much reioyce in your approouing furtherance yet at the least I shall herein find contentment that I haue endeuoured out of my vnfained sensiblenes of your worships respectiue kindnesse to make the world a witnes of my thankefullnes And so in the fulnes of my desire that he in whom all Fulnes dwelleth may so replenish you with spirituall blessings in heauenly things Col. 1.19 Eph. 1.3 Psa 92.13.14 that like the Trees planted in the house of the Lord you may still euen in your Age bring forth fruit and be fatte flourishing I humbly take my leaue Modbury in Deuonshire this 2. of Iuly 1607. Your worships euer in the Lord Samuell Hieron ERRATA Pag. 2. l. 10. for reserued read referred p. 3. l. 28. with with sicknes p. 4. l. 15. after needfull matter put in these words viz. not revealed in it hath added to it a packe and rable of unwritten traditions concerning which it teacheth that they are to be receiued imbraced with the same affection with the like zeale with the same respect as we doe p. 4. l. 37. after all the read the first words of the 5. p. viz. authors of them c. there be other smal faults escaped which would desire the gentle reader to amend as he read Hosea 8.12 J haue written to them the great things of my law but they were counted as a strange thing The first Sermon THis verse is as it were the lords complainte touching the wretched carelesnes of the sonnes of men who inioying the greatest benefit viz. the blessed liberty of this word yet notwithstanding vtterly neglect it and esteeme it as a thing not worthy the regarding That I may both for your profitte and myne owne helpe proceed in handling of it with the better order I will diuide it into two parts the first may be not vnfitly called Gods bounty I haue written to them the great thinge of my law the second may he termed mans impiety but they were counted as a strange thinge God hath vouchsafed the free vse of his word what greater bounty Men passe by it as a thing not worth the looking to what greater impiety of these two points in order I haue c In the first part wee haue two things to consider first the commendation of gods word secondly the mercy of god in vouchsafeing it vnto vs The word of god is commended vnto vs in these termes The great things of the law The word which is out of the Heb. translated heere greate signifieth honorable or pretious or ample and plentifull so that the word of God is cōmended heere by two things 1. the plenty and abundance and largenes of matter that is in it 2. the price and excellency and worth of the matter I wil speak of both seuerally I pray you let vs wel obserue them that the word of God may grow into greater credit with vs then it is Touching the largenes and amplenes of the word of god I set down this point That all necessary points either touching faith or manners are aboundantly contayned and layed forth in the scriptures for proofe whereof that one saying of the Apostle is sufficient The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God 2. Tim. 3.16 and is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse now what spiritual occasion can there be deuised which is not here mentioned what matter is there in the whole body of religion but it may well be reserued to one of these heads either teaching improouing correcting or instructing so that the word of God being sufficient to all these is not wanting in any necessary matter whatsoeuer Ioh. 20.31 These things saith Sainte Iohn are written that yee might haue life through his name a plaine testimony that there is inough lefte written in the bible for the begetting of faith and for the guiding of the soule of euery faithfull beleeuer vnto life eternall I gaue them my statutes saith God I declared my iudgements vnto them Ezek. 20.11 which if a man doe he shall liue the taking of that course which is prescribed to vs in the word is all sufficient to saluation They haue Moses the Prophets saith Abraham to the rich glutton in hell meaning that then they want no needfull instruction Luk. 16.31 for the bringing of them by repentāce vnto life Infinite are the places of scripture to this end shewing the absolutenesse of that doctrine which is contained in the written word vrging vs to rest our selues satisfied with that which is reuealed condemning al the inuentions and traditions of man that are added thereunto And seeing it is a sure thing that the bookes of holy scripture are penned by the speciall guidance of gods spirit 2. Pet. 1.21 as Sainte Peter affirmeth it must needs follow that if there be any needfull matter omitted in them it came to passe ether because they which wrot did not know it or because knowing it they would not reueale it or because being willing to reueale it they forgot
the denyall of Peter is more expresly laid downe by Marke then by any other Euangelist And Paul sets downe with his owne pen his owne faults in more sharpe measure then any other man would doe 1. Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer a persecutor an oppressor This argueth that these men were guided by God in that they were so free from flattery that they spared not themselues We know it is contrary in other writers you shall see generally those that write histories speake partiallie ether of some mē or of their own natiue coūtries as if a man should read the Chronicles of England he would thinke that to be the only country It sheweth the scripture to haue been guided by some higher spirit it being so free from all partiality Seauenthly the wonderfull preseruation of the bookes of the scripture At the first the two tables of the law which were written by Gods owne finger were apointed by the Lord to be laid vp in the Arke Deut. 10 2 5 6. and the whole Tribe of Leui commanded to attend it Next the bookes which Moses himselfe wrot Exod. 24.27 Deut. 31.9 Iosh 24.26 1. Sam. 10.25 as he wrot them by the speciall appointment of god as appeares so he deliuered it to the sonnes of Leui also to be kept Ioshua tooke the same course for the preseruation of that which he had written So did Samuell yet this is nothing in respect of that which followed The prophesy of Ieremy was burned by king Iehoiakinne therby thinking to abolish the whole memory of it but the lord presently caused the same to be written againe yea and added thereunto many words Ier. 30. When Manasses and Ammon two wicked kings to the end they might the better draw the people to Idolatry and to keep them in it had suppressed the booke of the law 2. Chron. 34.14 1. Macc 1. yet in the daies of Iosias it pleased God that euen in the ruynes of the temple the booke of the law was found againe It is recorded in the booke of Maccabees how that king Antiochus cut in peices and burnt al the bookes of che law which he could find and followed the matter so extreamely that whosoeuer had a booke of the testament found by him he should be put to death And Eusebius an auntient writer of the story of the Church reports how Dioclesian a heathen Emperour and a cruell persecutor both forbad the vse of the bookes of the prophets and Euangelists and consumed them with fire also So that indeed it is a very miracle and an argument that the scripture is from aboue in asmuch as notwithstanding the perpetuall enmity of the deuill against it the indeauours of Heretiques to corrupt it the practises of Tyrants vtterly to abolish it and the many hazards which the Church hath been in which could not chuse but endanger it yet it hath ben preserued whole and entyre yea euē in the originall tongues the old testament in the Hebrew and the new in the Greek euen vnto this day we may well apply vnto it the words of the Psalme It is the Lords doing Ps 1.8.23 and it is marueilous in our eies Eightly the forme and dignity of the stile which is as I said Fulnes of maiesty in simplicity of words There is no parte or tittle of it which sauoureth of any earthlines the maiesty of the sentences is such as it cannot be fully and wholly conceiued and vttered by any man and yet it is alwaies more powerfull in matter then in words And we see the bookes called the Apochripha who haue endeauoured to expresse the excellency of that holy stile are yet so farre from it that they are but cold and euen barbarous in comparison Ninthly if when we consider the excellency of the matter and the heauenly Maiesty of the stile we shall remember also what kind of men they were which wrot it it will adde some strength vnto this proofe For if we consider them simply in themselues Exod. 3.1 Ier. 1.6 Math. 4.18 Math. 9.9 Col. 4.4 1. Tim. 1.13 we shall see how vnfit they were by all likelihood for such a story Moses first a shepheard then a prophet Ieremy a yery child by his own confession Peter a fisherman one that was neuer trayned vp in learning Mathew a publican a meere stranger to the things of God Luke a phisitian learned but yet not accustomed in things of that quality Paul a persecutor a professed enemy to the doctrine of the gospell It could not chuse but be some heauenly and spirituall power that should call afterwards enable these mē vnto this waighty busines to be the penmē of that in which so much admirable excellēcy doth appeare Tēthly let vs cōsider also the power efficacy of the scripture There is no man but if he obserue it and hearken to it shall finde the power of it how it searcheth into the very secrets of a mans heart and deuides asunder the soule and the spirit Heb. 4.11 and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents it striketh a terror into the very consciences of those which are the greatest enemies vnto it and would seeme to despite it and that is the very thing that hath caused it to haue so many and greiuous aduersaries among men We may behold also how it works to the reclaiming of many men from their euill waies what fruits of holines it brings forth in the liues of diuers that professe it with contempt of the world what hatred of sinne what duties of mercy yea and how the loue and sweetnes thereof hath so possessed the hearts of some that they haue ben content not only to sacrifice their wealth their credit their good name their liberty for it but euen their very liues and to chuse rather to beare any torments then to disclaime that holy truth which by the teaching of the scripture they haue once throughly entertained Thus this power of the word in conuincing some in conuerting others in amazing some in reioycing others in drawing some earnestly to loue it in prouoking others deeply and tiranously to detest it this same secret and effectuall working of it I say vpon the secret powers of the soule is a testimony for the scripture that it is no deuise of man but the very sacred will of God These ten tokens I haue thought good to commend vnto your care and consideration by which it may be manifested vnto vs that that which we call the Bible and is dayly commēded vnto vs to be the word of god is indeed that which it is said to be and the very thing by which we shal be iudged at the last day 1. The purity of the law 2. The matter of the scripture the description of mans misery and of the true remedy for it 3. The antiquitie of it 4. The consent of it with it selfe 5. The certaine euent of all prophesies 6. The vnpartiall dealing of those that write it 7.
and a thing very ridiculous and childish to tie a mans selfe so straite as not willingly to swarue frō the direction and warrant of the scriptures If wee be sick wee will goe first to carnall meanes last to the scripture if wee be greiued in mind and touched in conscience wee will looke for comfort any where before we will seeke it in the scripture if wee be wronged and iniured in the world wee will runne after the eggings on of our owne corrupt heart to be our owne auengers before wee will aske counsell of the scripture As in these few so almost in all other things any rules please vs better then the rules of the scripture In apparrell wee are led by the fashion in meat and drinke by our sensuall appetite in recreation by companie or by our owne in ordinate affections in dealings with men by our profit in getting riches by our vnsatiable desires these be our rules the precepts of the word of God either wee doe not know or we doe not esteeme them or wee thinke it a burden and a kind of restraint to be tied to obserue them Ier. 2.13 Thus we are like vnto those of whome God cōplaines by Ieremie They haue forsaken me saith he the fountaine of liuing waters digge themselues pittes euen broken pits that can hold no water so wee let goe the best aduise which cannot erre and deuise rules and precepts to our selues which must needes deceiue vs. To reforme this common euill let vs remember what we haue heard viz. that God hath furnished his word with varietie of directions the precepts of it are of equall largenes to our spirituall occasions as many as walke according to this rule peace shall be vpon them saith the Apostle but to euery other course whatsoeuer it be Gal. 6.16 Pro. 14.12 wee may boldly apply the saying of Salomon There is a way that seemeth right vnto a man but the issues thereof are the waîes of death And thus much of the commendation giuen to the law of God it is large in matter and abounding with varietie of doctrine Now followeth to speake of the next thing by which it commended It is pretious the value and price of the matter doth equall the largenes and varietie of it The pretiousnesse and excellencie may many waies be made knowne vnto vs first by the author of it 1. Pet. 1.25 Ps 1.2 Act 20.27 Rom. 3.2 2. Tim. 3 16. 2 Pet. 1.21 which is God for which cause it is so often called the worde of God the law of God the counsell of God the oracles of God The whole scripture was giuen saith Paul by inspiration of God And it came saith Saint Peter not by the will of man but of the holy Ghost and I haue written it saith he heere in my text So that it is no idle tale deuised as Atheists say by the witte of man to keepe the vulgar in subiection but it is the very mind of God the very expresse patterne of that truth which is originally in the foūtaine of al truth which is the lord secōdly by the matter of it the matter of scripture is in a word that great mistery of godlines of which the Apostle speaketh God manifested in the flesh c. 1. Tim. 3.16 Col. 1.27 1. Cor. 2.8 A glorious mistery A hid mistery which non of the princes of this world could know A mistery which no man by the witte of man is euer able to conceiue A mysterie which the Angells in heauen do admire and the Deuills in hell doe tremble at A misterie which the Atheists in their mouthes doe scoffe at but euen at the same time in their hearts doe quake to consider This is the matter of the scripture Iesus Christ yesterday to day the same for euer he is the yea and the amen of all the promises Heb. 13.8 2. Cor. 1.20 Reuel 1.11 the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the pith and marrow of the whole thirdly by the stile of it Fullnesse of maiestie in simplicitie of words the like temper no where else to be found in any humane writer whatsoeuer I know that in sundry parcels of the scripture there are to be seene many more then steppes or prints of eloquence which the wisedome of God did to make vs know that he could if it had pleased him haue frettised as it were the whole volume of the booke with the excellencie of words yet generally it is so carried in such a low phrase of speache which yet doth not sauour of any earthly mould but makes a man euen as it were in despight of himselfe to admire it Thy testimonies are wonderfull saith Dauid yet in the next verse he saith the entrance into them sheweth light Psal 119.129 giueth vnderstanding so that there is a depth of misterie in plaines of words Fourthly the end of it the end of the scripture is not to please idle humors with variety of delightfull matters nether to exercise busy wits with subtilty of questions nor to be as a matter of storie only to acquaint men with the course of times nor to furnish mē with ability to discourse the word of God aimes at none of these ends which yet notwithstanding are the cheife scope and euen the happinesse of the most Authors but it driues at this one point to make a man wise vnto saluation To shew the path of life 2. Tim. 3.15 Psal 16.11 Luk. 1.79 Rom. 1.20 To guide our feete into the way of peace we may read in the great booke of the creatures as I may so call it the invisible things of god his eternall power godhead yet the knowledge of God gotten there is of no power but only to make vs inexcusable And therefore Dauid haueing spoken of the maiesty of God which appeareth euen in the creation of things Psal 19. Ver. 7. comes at last to this The law of the lord is perfect conuering the soule to shew that without the word of God though man might gaine knowledge enough to condemne him yet he could get none to saue him And so many other places hauing declared the testimonies of the power of God which are to be seene euen in the very waues of the sea Psal 93. at last he concludes the psalme O lorde thy testimonies are very sure meaning that there is no certaine and comfortable knowledge of God to be gotten but only from thence And for the same cause Christ told the woman of Samaria that they worshipped they knew not what and that the true worship was only among the Iewes Ioh. 4.22 because they only had the scriptures Now then looke how farre saluation life eternall euerlasting happinesse doe exceed all other things by so much is the doctrine of the scripture of greater price then all other doctrines then all other writings whatsoeuer Thus you see the price and exellency of the word of God pretious for
in the historie of the Church in that wicked Emperour Iulian his manner was to reach vnto the Christians boxes on the eare and withall to bidde them turne the other for saith he your master biddes you that whosoeuer smiteth you on the cheeke you should turne to him the other also And so whē he denied pay to the christiā souldiers that were hired by him and they complained therof vnto him his answer was that he did to make them fit for the kingdome of heauen because Christ had said Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen thus this prophane wretch scoffed at the scripture wee must labour to take heed of the like wretchednesse Pilate was but a Heathē yet the text saith that when he heard but the name of the sonne of God he was afraide Ioh. 19.8 Wee that professe our selues Christians should much more reuerence the holy word of God in euery title whereof Exod. 30.32 the maiestie of God may be seene You shall read that the oyle wherewith the tabernacle and the Arke and the Priests were annointed was holy and therefore no man might put it to any other vse either to annoint his owne flesh with it or to make a composition like vnto it The like may be said of the holy doctrine of the scripture it is appointed as an holy oile to supple and to refresh the soules and consciences of Gods people and therefore may not be diuerted by vs to any other profane or idle vse whatsoeuer It is a taking of the name of God in vaine and a breach of the third commaundement These are the vses I thought good to make of this that the things of the law of God are called honourable or pretious And thus much touching the first part of this clause the commendation of Gods word the matter of it is very large and it is very pretious I come vnto the second part of the clause touching the mercy of God in vouchsafeing his word vnto vs in these words I haue written vnto them In the handling of this clause sundry things are to be opened as 1 how it can be said that God hath written his word 2 why it was meete to write it 3 when the word of God began first to be writtē how it was preserued for the Churches vse all that time 4 how we shal be assured that that which among vs is now called the scripture is the very same word and pretious will of God which he hath written for the vse and comfort of his people These points are meete to be opened both for the well vnderstanding of this place in hand and for the setling of vs against Atheisme and the perswading of vs of the authoritie of the scripture Time will not suffer me to enter into them all now I will proceed as farre as I can First how it can be said that God hath written his word God is said to haue written his word in two respects 1 because the 10 commandements of which all the rest that is written in the volume of the booke is but as it were a comment or exposition these I say were written after a secret vnknowne and vnutterable manner by God him selfe according as the scripture doth often mention it it is called the finger of God by which according to the most ordinary interpretation of the anchient fathers is meant the spirit of God Secondly God is said to haue written his word because all the rest that was written though men were the instruments yet it was done by his appointment and by his assistance As concerning Gods appointment we read how Moses was commanded to write so was Isay so was Ieremie so was Ezekiell so was Habakuk and so was Iohn as you shal read in the booke of the Reuelation and when as Christ commanded his Apostles to be witnesses of him and publishers of his truth and doctrine to the ends of the earth and to deliuer that of which the church should haue continuall vse to the worlds end no doubt he did in that charge insinuat that they should not only preach by word of mouth but should commit the summe of their doctrine to writing also that the same might be preserued to all posterities As it is plaine that God appointed the writing of the scripture so he assisted the pen-men of it by the extraordinary and immediate and infallible guidance of his spirit 2. Pet. 1.21 for which we need no better proofe then that one of Peters now once or twise already mentioned so then because God writte the law immediatly with his owne finger and then both gaue commandement and order for the writing of the rest and directed the writers so that they could not in any thing indited by them be mistaken the word is said to haue bin written by the lord The vse hereof is first to be a confirmation to that which I said before touching the perfection and price of the scripture it must needs be an absolute entire body without any ether superfluity or defect and containe a most necessary exact form of doctrine seing that god is the author of it who both in his wisedome knew what was conueniāt and in his loue would not keepe secret any thing which he knewe to be for the necessary behoofe of his own chosen Againe it can be no triuiall or base or vulgar matter which is commended vnto vs as it were out of the bosome of the Lord and for the ratifying whereof our Sauiour Christ spent his owne blood and in framing whereof the spirit of God hath breathed so extraordinarily But the principall and more proper vse which we are to make hereof is to be an assurance to vs of the irrevocable vnchangeable certaintie of the scripture Math. 5.28 and that as our Sauiour saith Heauen and earth shall passe away before one title therof doe fall to the ground vnfullfilled It is a good obseruation of one of the fathers if Pilate saith he being but a man after he had set the title ouer Christs head vpon the crosse Ioh. 19.22 was dealt with by the Iewes to alter it could say quod scripsi scripsi meaning that hauing set it downe vpon good aduise he would not change it much more may we be sure that the Lord hauing written his will and set it forth to the view of the world as an absolute rule vnto all will neuer alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth Men alter their writings many times because of some ouersight or mistaking or because of some second thoughts wiser then their former it were blasphemie to impute any such thing vnto God Againe there is much failing in the execution of mens lawes either through the remissenes of those that are intrusted with them or through want of power to goe thorough with them The Lord is neither slacke as men count slackenes saith Saint Peter 2. Pet. 3.9 neither yet is